7 Incredible Benefits of Social Media

1. 7 Incredible Benefits of Social Media Tracy Stewart

2. Overview • Learn seven high-impact benefits of using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and other online communities • See real-life examples of how you can use social media to increase interest and referrals, as well as accelerate the decision cycle in choosing a college

3. Students Can Experience Student Life through Videos – Accelerate Decision Cycle 70-79% of Millennials watch video online(Source:Pew Internet Report 2010) Spotlight Videos User-Generated

4. “Day in the Life” Video Series 4,594 views 1,626 views JUL 2007 MAR 2008 109avg per month 49avg per month Previous “Day in the Life” video content always garneredtop views…So, we produced more & views increased 1,851 views JUN 2010 AUG 2010 357 views 308avg per month 89avg per month JUN 2010 767 views OCT 2010 107 views 128avg per month 43avg per month

5. UGC #FTW Views of our “Why I Love Regent” contest entries always garner top views: they’re short, genuine & direct Our first freshman video blog series attracted repeat visits& channel subscribers So, in 2010, we had another contest & doubled our entries So, in 2010, we have four freshman video bloggers contributing

6. YouTube as a Community The web isn’tjust websites anymore.Our YouTube channel is another web property – aside from our website – that helps to extend our online presence & build awareness & consideration of our brand

7. Generate High-Quality Traffic by Sharing Links to Your Website Mostly current stakeholders stay up-to-date on news & events (like the inauguration of our new President)& other social media activities (like the launch of our new Facebook & YouTube pages, our YouTube video contest & blogger series)

8. Leverage Student & Alumni Ambassadors and Other Influencers - Blogs In 2010, traffic from Regent blogs to Regent.edu was 0.27% of total site traffic(or #17 top referral source) About 50% of Millennials read blogs (Source:Pew Internet Report 2010) Since Jan 2009 & compared to site avg, these visitors spent 24% more time on site Regent features 88 current students

9. Know What Works – Test & Measure Measuring growth in audience sizes, referral volume, referral interactivity, and content interest helps to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts & illuminate calibration opportunities to achieve optimal results Regent reviews social media data at a high level every month

10. Frequency Impacts Growth Facebook Audience Growth Spikes with Campaigns Refreshed Life in the UnCommons Content on YouTube Launched New YouTube Design & Content Audience Size Launched New Facebook Design & Featured on Homepage Launched Life in the UnCommons Content on YouTube Why I Love RegentVideo Contest

11. Know What Content Generates Most Interest Social media users follow brands because: They are a current customer They want exclusive deals or offers They want entertaining or informational content(Source: eMarketer Report 2009) Reasons for Unsubscribingfrom a Brand’s Facebook Page 34% unsubscribed due to content

12. Know Who Your Audiences Are Regularly reviewing demographic and psychographic make-up of channels helps to inform what content should be shared where

13. WhoInteracts With Your Facebook Page? Social media channels offer deep user demographic and psychographic insights – allowing us to identify who spends time on our properties and offer them a more personalized experience

14. What Type of Videos Should You Curate? Regularly reviewing demographic make-up of channels helps to inform what content should be shared where vs.

15. How Often and What Should You Tweet? Regularly reviewing demographic make-up of channels helps to inform what content should be shared where

16. How Can Social Media Increase Conversions? By creating a strategic engagement  information funnel, we drive prospects from awareness to consideration (and from web property to web property) Influence, Engage Inform, Convert

17. Increase & Enhance Your Visibility Social media is the new search engine optimization. A brand-related search will inevitably display social media channels within the first three pages of results. PG 1 PG 2 Regent utilizes a naming and tagging convention for all social content to ensure top search indexing PG 3

18. Develop Audience Trust Via IndexedSocial Media Wikipedia, a crowdsourced social encyclopedia, offers a unbiased representation of Regent University and drives a considerable amount of traffic to Regent.edu Audiences generally trust peer-curated content over brand-curated content

19. Search Optimized Social Content and Channels Regent-specific social content – including videos, presentations, forums, photos and blogs – rank highly on Google, Yahoo! and Bing

20. A Measured Approach to Social Media Count what matters according to your goals. Close the loop & utilize gathered data to craft wiser strategies. As with any channel, social media starts with gathering insights about your company, customers, competitors, collaborators, & context.This informs strategy. Define goals, initiatives, strategies & tactics.How will success be measured? Then, implement.

21. 7 Incredible Benefits of Social Media Tracy Stewart